What has being a girl to do with anything if a person in properly qualified?' ... 'It's what you call prejudice, ' she said.

He who climbs a cliff may die on the cliff, so what? Always a risk-taker by nature, now I became one by intent.

In a still hot morning, the tide went out and didn't come back in. This was not a spectacular event. The sea did not roll up like a scroll, like the sky in Revelations. It quietly withdrew.

The world is full of novels in which characters simply say and do. There are certainly legitimate genres in which this is sufficient. But in real and lasting writing the character is.

Writing is a passion I have never understood, yet a storyteller is all I have ever wanted to be.

[a]nd the Pig Man came in from Waitomo and swore that if Louisa didn't marry him he'd damn well vote Labour at the next ele

And when he got home he started on Mumma. He hated her then, because in her fatness and untidiness and drabness she reminded him of what he himself was when he was sober.

Then she said, with piteous defiance, "If I could love her, the Good Lord could, and he won't be too hard on an old lady who didn't have an easy life.

Routines and daily habits aren’t restrictive. They provide structure, direction, and opportunities for spontaneity.

The ribbon on my wrist says: Do not open before Christmas.

People leave traces of themselves where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile.

The opposite of talking is not listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.

Mutual respect is so important because as soon as it disappears in relations between you and the next person, there's trouble.

Many a true word is spoken in jest

If there are but few who interest thee, why shouldst thou be disappointed if but few find thee interesting?

Conviction is the conscience of intellect.

I've rarely met couples who - they both love to do everything together.